détournantvsdétournentWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“détournant” and “détournent” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#35,485
“détournant” frequency rank
#30,583
“détournent” frequency rank
66068
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature détournant détournent
Definition Participe présent de détourner. Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de détourner.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set détournant and détournent apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
détournant
10 ch
détournent

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. détournant (\de.tuʁ.nɑ̃\) and détournent (\de.tuʁn\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - a in “détournant” becomes e in “détournent”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66068, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

détournant is recorded at frequency rank #35,485, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tuʁ.nɑ̃\. détournent is at rank #30,583, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tuʁn\.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 66068, this pair ranks #69,478 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of détournant vs détournent

Shared letters: dnortué. Private to "détournant": a. Private to "détournent": e.

"détournant" · 10 letters · shape CVCVVCCVCC  ·  "détournent" · 10 letters · shape CVCVVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

détournant#35,485
détournent#30,583

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "détournant" and "détournent" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.tuʁ.nɑ̃\ versus \de.tuʁn\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "détournant" or "détournent"?
"détournent" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,583 in our French list, against #35,485 for "détournant". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering détournant vs détournent

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “détournant” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list